Jake Paul still has to fight Tommy Fury this weekend, but he already has his next opponent in mind. According to the YouTuber turned boxer, his next fight will likely be a big one against UFC superstar and new free agent Nate Diaz.
“I think (Nate Diaz’s team is) ready. I’m getting through Sunday (against Tommy Fury) and we’re gonna line that one up ASAP. I think that’s next,” Paul said on the MMA Hour. “Probably mid-year, maybe sometime summer.
“I think that’s what the fans want, and that’s who I want. There’s been a lot of back and forth, we’ve said our stuff, but it’s time to get down to business,” he said.
Paul, who previously said he’d fight Diaz both in boxing and MMA, claims he’s actually serious about the idea.
“I want to do one fight boxing, one fight MMA, but I’m not sure if Nate’s team is like fully aligned on that yet. Or I don’t know if they realize how serious I am about that,” Paul said. “I think they thought I was just doing it for hype, but I’m dead ass.”
Paul is 6-0 in boxing and will be a lot younger at 26-years-old, while the 37-year-old Diaz is 21-13 in MMA. Before any of that can happen though, Paul still has to handle business this Sunday, when he finally faces the 8-0 Fury in Saudi Arabia.
Conor McGregor leaves the Blnchardstown Court in Dublin after facing charges of reckless driving. | Photo by Brian Lawless/PA Images via Getty Images
McGregor had been accused of assaulting a woman during an after party on his Yacht, following his birthday last July.
It appears that Conor McGregor’s feet are once again out of the fire. The former two-division champion and combat sports superstar had been facing accusations of assault, stemming from a post-birthday celebration on his yacht in Ibiza, Spain, last July.
A woman, who had reportedly been a casual acquaintance of McGregor’s before the party, apparently snuck into a private event for the UFC star, and was later invited by the Irishman back to his ship for a casual get-together with a few close friends. It’s only the next day that the woman claims McGregor became enraged, berating the woman before reportedly striking her and knocking her to the ground, breaking her wrist in the process.
The alleged victim, in a statement to Ireland’s Gardai police force, said that she was forced to jump overboard to escape McGregor. “It was as if he were possessed,” the woman explained. “I knew that I had to get off the boat because I thought that he was going to kill me.”
Despite all that, and following reports that the woman’s car had been set on fire and that a brick had been thrown through her window in the wake of these accusations, the Sunday World now reports that a planned civil lawsuit against McGregor in the Irish court system has been terminated by the plaintiff.
McGregor had previously denied all accusations made against him via a spokesperson. The court had been set to review an application by the plaintiff requiring McGregor to preserve any and all materials related to the case, including phone records and CCTV footage. That application has now been cancelled. No word if there were any private agreements made between the two parties that may have resulted in the alleged victim’s unwillingness to pursue charges.
Henry Cejudo at UFC 249 in 2020. | Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images
If Sterling can’t make UFC 288 for whatever reason, Cejudo wants a backup fighter.
Considering how many times it was scheduled and rescheduled, Henry Cejudo wants his fight with Aljamain Sterling to come with insurance.
Sterling vs. Cejudo was rumored to happen at several events this year, including UFC 284 in February, UFC 285 in March and UFC 287 in April. Finally the bout has been announced for UFC 288 in May, which both fighters have since confirmed in recent videos.
However, in his video, ‘Triple C’ revealed Sterling has yet to sign his contract, so the fight is still not official.
“Guys, this fight has been going on—first it was some time in, maybe, February in Australia,” said Cejudo. “Then, we were talking about April 15 or April 8 in Miami. And then now its May 6. Guys, at this point I really don’t trust ‘Al Jizz Lame’ Sterling. Why don’t I trust him? Because he’s afraid of the ‘Triple C,’ it’s plain and simple.”
As he awaits for Sterling to sign on the dotted line, Cejudo says he is preparing for two opponents. The first, of course, is the ‘Funk Master,’ who recently defended his title with a second-round TKO of T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 280 this past October. And the second is Sean O’Malley, the new No. 1 contender after his split decision win over Petr Yan at the same pay-per-view event.
Should anything happen to Sterling, the former champion wants ‘Sugar’ to fill in then. After all, O’Malley expects to fight the winner, so Cejudo sees him as the best option for a backup.
“Aljamain Sterling, is he ready? Does he really want that smoke? Because, quite frankly, guys, I really don’t think Aljamain Sterling wants that smoke,” said Cejudo. “So, at the same time, the only thing that I could say to Sean O’Malley [is]: ‘stay ready, stay prepared.’
“Obviously, I’m going to be training for Aljamain Sterling,” continued Cejudo. “As soon as the fight gets announced, as soon as it’s not just verbally said, but there’s a signature on there. Somebody’s able to sign and then the fight is sealed and everything is good. But, at the same time, there is that precaution that Aljamain may not show up. Typically, I don’t do things like that, but I will adjust just in case Aljamain Sterling pulls out of this fight.”
Cejudo has not fought since UFC 249, where he became a two-division champion with a second-round TKO of Dominick Cruz nearly three years ago.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)
Marina Rodriguez at weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 64. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
A pair of ranked strawweights is joining the line-up of the upcoming pay-per-view event.
UFC 288 is shaping up nicely.
MMA Melotto on Twitter reports that a fight between Marina Rodriguez and Virna Jandiroba is confirmed for the upcoming pay-per-view event, which is scheduled for May 6 at a soon-to-be-announced location and venue.
Following a split decision loss to Carla Esparza at UFC Fight Island 3, Rodriguez rattled off four consecutive wins, including decisions against Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan. On the cusp of her first UFC championship opportunity, the Brazilian attempted to extend her win streak to five against Amanda Lemos at UFC Vegas 64 this past November. She suffered a third-round TKO.
Jandiroba has won three of her past five fights. In her most recent appearance, ‘Carcará’ returned to the win column with a unanimous decision against Angela Hill at UFC Vegas 54 in May.
Rodriguez and Jandiroba are ranked at No. 4 and No. 10 in the strawweight division, respectively.
With the addition of Rodriguez vs. Jandiroba, UFC 288 has six confirmed fights. The line-up features a bantamweight championship fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo, as well as a lightweight tilt between Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. The rest of the line up include Bryce Mitchell vs. Jonathan Pearc, Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya, and Johnny Muñoz Jr. vs. Daniel Santos.
Stay tuned to Bloody Elbow for more updates to the event as they become available in the coming months.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)
William Knight at UFC Vegas 69. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The Las Vegas-based promotion has parted with several fighters since their losing efforts at the most recent UFC APEX show.
Three fighters were removed from the UFC roster following their losses at UFC Vegas 69 this past Saturday.
UFC light heavyweight William Knight fell to 3-4 in the promotion after his unanimous decision loss to Marcin Prachnio. The ‘Knightmare’ received a ton of criticism for his strange performance, which he responded to by saying he ‘froze up’ against Prachnio in a now-deleted Instagram video.
After a 1-1 start to his UFC tenure, the former Contender Series contestant earned wins over Fabio Cherant and Alonzo Menifield. That two-fight win streak was snapped, as Knight suffered losses to Maxim Grishin, Devin Clark, and now Prachnio.
William Knight has been removed from the UFC roster following the completion of his contract, per UFC officials.
Obviously he could always be re-signed at a later date but as of now, he’s no longer on the roster.
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) February 21, 2023
Also removed was UFC middleweight-turned-light heavyweight Jordan Wright, who suffered his fourth consecutive loss — a unanimous decision to Zac Pauga. In his seven-fight stint with the promotion, the ‘Beverly Hills Ninja’ went 2-5 overall.
Jordan Wright has also been removed from the UFC roster following the completion of his contract, per UFC officials. #UFC
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) February 21, 2023
UFC officials confirmed to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting that Knight and Wright were removed from the roster upon the completion of their respective contracts.
Immediately after her loss to Mayra Bueno Silva, Lina Länsberg announced her retirement from mixed martial arts.
“Thank you so much for all the love and support,” wrote Länsberg on Instagram. “This has been a hell of a ride and to start fighting is the best thing I’ve ever done. It has given me so, so much. But now it’s time to move on. I’m done.”
The ‘Elbow Queen’ joined the UFC in 2016, alternating between wins and losses. After back-to-back wins over Tonya Evinger and Macy Chiasson, the former top-15 bantamweight dropped her next four fights, including decisions to Sara McMann, Pannie Kianzad and Karol Rosa. She leaves the sport with an overall record of 10-8 as a professional.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)
Jéssica Andrade at UFC Vegas 69. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
It looks like the former champion is done bouncing between divisions.
After several years of alternating between strawweight and flyweight, Jéssica Andrade has decided to commit to one weight class.
Following her loss—a second-round rear-naked choke—to Erin Blanchfield at UFC Vegas 69 this past Saturday, Andrade shared with Heidi Androl of ESPN that she would return to strawweight, the division where she was once champion.
“I have always said, one of the things I wanted to do is actually go back down to strawweight,” said Andrade through an interpreter. “That’s what I want. I wanted to put some roots in there and stay in that division. I did ask for a title shot. I understand if the organization wants to give me a title shot at flyweight, I’ll take it.
“I’m ready all the time,” continued Andrade. “I’ve always said this. I’m always ready for the promotion as much as they’re ready for me, so I’ll take it. But obviously strawweight will be the move.”
Prior to her fight with Blanchfield, the Brazilian thought a win could earn her another championship opportunity against Zhang Weili, the reigning UFC strawweight champion. Andrade and Weili first met at UFC Shenzen, where ‘Magnum’ dethroned the then-champion by first-round TKO.
Since then, Andrade spent her time in two weight classes, but has kept gunning for a rematch with Weili. And with the two-time champion still without an opponent after her second-round submission of Carla Esparza at UFC 281 this past November, the Paraná Vale Tudo hopes to be on the shortlist of potential opponents when ‘Magnum’ returns.
For now, though, Andrade says she goes ‘back to the drawing board’ after this loss. She was previously on a three-fight win streak before accepting the short-notice opportunity to face Blanchfield.
About the author: Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016. (full bio)
Man carrying “Your wife is in my DMs” sign tried to get the former UFC interim champion’s attention and it worked just a little too well.
Being a celebrity isn’t all gumdrops and rainbows. Having everyone know them, and a lot of their personal business can leave famous folks exposed to a whole wide variety of petty harassment. From paparazzi, to autograph hounds, or sometimes just idiots looking to have a little fun at their expense.
That’s an experience former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier got a reminder of during a recent mini-parade back home in Louisiana. A short video uploaded to social media shows the famous fighter, alongside his wife, tossing Mardi Gras beads from the back of an open-topped Jeep Rubicon—just before an unidentified man approaches the vehicle with a sign that reads “YOUR WIFE IS IN MY DMS.”
Needless to say, Poirier was not pleased.
What an absolute melon, Dustin should’ve slapped him harder pic.twitter.com/hDyCthu6F7
— ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ (@TheArtOfWar6) February 21, 2023
After reading the sign, Poirier reached down like he was going to shake this dummy’s hand, but instead gave him a hard smack as the man jogged to catch up.
The sign was a reference to one of Conor McGregor’s taunts delivered at UFC 264 after suffering a broken leg against Poirier in the Octagon. On the wrong end of a TKO loss for the second time in his career, the Irishman desperately tried spinning the narrative.
“I was boxing the bleeding head off him and kicking the bleeding leg off him,” McGregor told Joe Rogan, while seated on the canvas, before adding, “Your wife is in my DMs! Hey baby, hit me back up on chat later on.”
McGregor has since been accused of assaulting a woman during an after party for his birthday celebration, in July of last year in Ibiza, Spain. Authorities are still investigating the case after a complaint was lodged with Ireland’s Garda police force. At the same time, the UFC superstar has also been tabbed to coach the upcoming season of the Ultimate Fighter alongside Michael Chandler, with a bout between the two men expected for late 2023. No word yet on when fans can hope to see Poirier inside the cage again.
About the author: Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. Host of the MMA Vivisection and 6th Round, he has covered MMA and the UFC since 2013.(full bio)
Jairzinho Rozenstruik knocked out Chris Daukaus in December 2022. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Heavyweights Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Jailton Almeida are reportedly squaring off in May.
A heavyweight bout between two heavy hitters has been reportedly added to an upcoming UFC event on May 13. According to MMA Fighting’s report, contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik is now expected to take on rising prospect Jailton Almeida.
In his last outing, Rozenstruik (13-4) scored a knockout win over Chris Daukaus, back in December 2022. The victory snapped a two-fight losing skid for the 34-year-old, who had previously lost dropped losses to Alexander Volkov and Curtis Blaydes, respectively in June 2022 and September 2021.
Still undefeated in the Octagon, Almeida (18-2) rides a four-fight winning streak in the UFC, with finish victories over Danilo Marques, Parker Porter, Anton Turkalj and most recently, Shamil Abdurakhimov, in January 2023. The 31-year-old’s last loss dates back to January 2018, when he dropped a unanimous decision to Bruno Assis at Shooto Brazil 80.
Now, Rozenstruik is scheduled to take on Almeida at UFC Fight Night 225, on May 13. Though the card does not have an official venue yet, it is expected to be headlined by light heavyweights Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones gives some insight on his decision to move to heavyweight.
For a good part of nine years in his professional career, Jon Jones was the most dominant light heavyweight champion the UFC has ever seen. But towards the end of that run, people saw more of “Bones” vulnerabilities through lesser spectacular wins.
In 2020, Jones decided to relinquish the 205-pound title to finally give way to his long-talked-about transition to the heavyweight division. And in a recent conversation with SiriusXM, Jones gave a bit of insight on what finally drove him to make the jump.
“The fear was gone. I didn’t really fear these guys, and I wasn’t happy with my pay either.”
Jon Jones (@JonnyBones) shares what factors went into his decision to move up to HW w/@jimmysmithmma #UFC285
Source: Unlocking the Cage with Jimmy Smith pic.twitter.com/5eUxvS83bE
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) February 20, 2023
“I stopped studying footage as much. I started just looking forward to another day at the office. The fear was gone. I didn’t really fear these guys. And I wasn’t happy with my pay, either,” Jones told long-time MMA correspondent Jimmy Smith.
“I was starting to fight guys like Reyes who had been dreaming of fighting me, probably since college. And he was just relatively unknown to the general public.
“I just wanted more. I wanted to be nervous again. I wanted to have fear again.”
Jones’ heavyweight debut is now set for UFC 285 when he takes on Ciryl Gane for the vacant title. And on top of a new deal that’s supposedly made him the highest-paid heavyweight in UFC history, he seems much more content.
“I think fear’s healthy, and now we’re in this position. The heavyweight division has never been scarier. And I’m glad to be right in the middle of it.”
UFC 285 takes place on March 4th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
About the author: Milan Ordoñez has been covering combat sports since 2012 and has been part of the Bloody Elbow staff since 2016. He’s also competed in amateur mixed martial arts and submission grappling tournaments. (full bio)
Fights on Tap: Gamrot vs Turner – UFC 285 | Photo: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC | Graphic: Bloody Elbow
Check out all the fights announced over the past week in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
Fights on Tap is a weekly roundup of all the fights booked in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.
We are in for a busy weekend, folks. There is UFC Vegas 70, Bellator 291 and Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury between Saturday and Sunday, so plan accordingly! Before we get to those events, let’s take a look at what we have ahead of us on the upcoming schedule.
The UFC either announced or finalized ten fights this week, and a pair of ranked lightweights are the latest addition to our next pay-per-view event.
Jalin Turner is getting his first top-ten opponent. After the ‘Tarantula’ lost out on a fight with Dan Hooker (the ‘Hangman’ was forced to withdraw due to a broken hand), the UFC found him a short-notice replacement in Mateusz Gamrot, who he now faces at UFC 285 on March 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Turner has won his past five fights, all of which have ended within two rounds. Recently, the 27-year-old scored a ‘Performance of the Night’ awarded first-round guillotine choke of Brad Riddell at UFC 276 this past July. Meanwhile, Gamrot saw his four-fight win streak snapped by Beneil Dariush at UFC 280 in October. Prior to that, the ‘Gamer’ added Scott Holtzman, Jeremy Stephens, Carlos Diego Ferreira and Arman Tsarukyan to his resume.
On the Bellator front, the promotion returns to Hawaii with another championship doubleheader. Women’s flyweight champ Liz Carmouche goes for her second defense, this time against DeAnna Bennett. And the Bellator bantamweight Grand Prix ends with Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix for the title and $ 1 million prize.
UFC Vegas 70 — February 25
Ode’ Osbourne vs. Charles Johnson — flyweight (First rep. by Alex Behunin of MMA Mania)
Erick Gonzalez vs. Trevor Peek — lightweight (First rep. by Chris De Santiago of MiddleEasy)
Joe Solecki vs. Carl Deaton III — lightweight (First rep. by Nolan King of MMA Junkie)
UFC 285 — March 4
Mateusz Gamrot vs. Jalin Turner — lightweight (First rep. by Kanal Sportowy)
UFC 287 — April 8
Chris Barnett vs. Chase Sherman — heavyweight (First rep. by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland)
UFC Kansas City — April 15
Ed Herman vs. Zak Cummings — light heavyweight (First rep. by Iridium Sports Agency)
Ion Cutelaba vs. Tanner Boser — light heavyweight (First rep. by Mike Heck and Damon Martin of MMA Fighting)
UFC Fight Night — April 22
Carlos Candelario vs. Rafael Estevam — flyweight (First rep. by Nolan King and Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie)
UFC Fight Night — April 29
Caio Borralho vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk — middleweight (First rep. by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting)
UFC Fight Night — May 13
Matt Brown vs. Court McGee — welterweight (First rep. by Brown on The Fighter vs. The Writer )
Announced Bellator fights:
Bellator 291 — February 25
Leonardos Sinis vs. Ciaran Clarke — featherweight (First rep. by Seán Sheehan of Severe MMA)
Bellator 293 — March 31
Sullivan Cauley vs. Luke Trainer — light heavyweight
Archie Colgan vs. Justin Montalvo — lightweight
Joey Davis vs. Jeff Creighton — welterweight
Lucas Brennan vs. Josh San Diego — featherweight
Lance Gibson Jr. vs. Vladimir Tokov — lightweight
Pam Sorenson vs. Sara Collins — women’s featherweight
Christian Edwards vs. Rakim Cleveland — heavyweight
Mike Hamel vs. Nick Browne — lightweight
Randi Field vs. Ashley Cummins — catchweight (120 lbs.)
Bryce Meredith vs. Brandon Carrillo — bantamweight
Maria Henderson vs. MacKenzie Stiller — women’s strawweight (First rep. by Nolan King of MMA Junkie)
Khonry Gracie vs. David Pacheco — welterweight
Bellator 294 — April 21
Liz Carmouche vs. DeAnna Bennett — women’s flyweight (First rep. by Christian Shimabuku of KHON)
Tim Johnson vs. Said Sowma — heavyweight
Arlene Blencowe vs. Sara McMann — women’s featherweight
Bellator 295 — April 22
Kai Kamaka III vs. Adli Edwards — featherweight (First rep. by BellatorZone)
Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix — bantamweight (First rep. by Christian Shimabuku of KHON)
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kana Watanabe — women’s flyweight
Davion Franklin vs. Kasim Aras— heavyweight
Yancy Medeiros vs. Charlie Leary — lightweight (First rep. by Christian Shimabuku of KHON)
Bobby King vs. Aaron Cruz — lightweight
Keoni Diggs vs. Weber Almeida — featherweight
Sumiko Inaba vs. Veta Arteaga — women’s flyweight
Announced Professional Fighters League (PFL) fights:
PFL 1 (2023 Regular Season) — April 1
Movlid Khaybulaev vs. Ryoji Kudo — featheweight
Chris Wade vs. Bubba Jenkins — featherweight
Omari Akhmedov vs. Will Fleury — light heavyweight
Martin Hamlet vs. Mohammed Fakhredoine — light heavyweight
Joshua Silveira vs. Sam Kei — light heavyweight
Alejandro Flores vs. Daniel Torres — featherweight
Announced Cage Warriors fights:
Cage Warriors 149 — March 3
Elijah Harris vs. Larry Gonzales — heavyweight
Alberto Romo vs. Alex Trinidad — lightweight
Cage Warriors 150 — March 17
Jordan Vucenic vs. Tiziano Ferranti — featherweight
Jack Eglin vs. Ilie Meryacre — bantamweight
Cage Warriors 151 — March 24
Aidan Stephen vs. Matthew Camilleri — featherweight
Cage Warriors 152 — April 15
Manny Akpan vs. Josh Reed — featherweight
Cage Warriors 153 — April 29
Solomon Simon vs. Dorian Cliucinicov — featherweight
Dean Barry vs. Adam Shelley — lightweight
Announced KSW fights:
KSW 79 — February 25
Michał Kita vs. Daniel Omielańczuk — heavyweight
KSW 80 — March 17
Mateusz Janur vs. Andi Vrtačić — middleweight
Luis Henrique da Silva vs. Oumar Sy — light heavyweight
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